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Its a damn shame to see Harlem and Jacksom Heights losing its soul.The urban Blacks and Latinos created Hip Hop and NY Salsa on those streets.No Yuppie a** people,or hipsters, would have EVER been able to do that.For Real..

Its a damn shame to see Harlem and Jacksom Heights losing its soul.The urban Blacks and Latinos created Hip Hop and NY Salsa on those streets.No Yuppie a** people,or hipsters, would have EVER been able to do that.For Real..

Both those neighborhoods are probably 2% yuppie/hipster right now, if that.

I should make a correction. I jogged all the way to 92nd Street from 70th street, btw 37-35th Avenue in daylight on Sunday. I was wrong, these areas are fine and not shady at all! It might be a bit of a track from the subway, other than that, Jackson-Heights has really has come a long way!

I want to point out a logical fallacy in one of the preceding posts regarding the gentrification of Jackson Heights. Someone wrote:

"It's just amusing when you've lived in an area all your life and have seen whites move out (more like flee), then move back in again when the area gets 'discovered'."

Presumably, this is "amusing" because it is ironic. But the irony is only apparent unless the very same "whites" who once rejected the neighborhood are now embracing it because it's been 'discovered'.

I assume that the whites who fled as the demographics of the neighborhood changed are not the same whites who are now moving to Jackson Heights for reasons we should all be able to appreciate (we all respond to market pressures. The "non-whites" who moved into the neighborhood and precipitated a "white-flight" were also responding to market pressures).

I do not think gentrification is executed in a socially responsible way. Gentrification ought to be discussed openly and honestly but demonizing whites for responding to market pressures rationally does not advance the discussion in an interesting or insightful way.

There are socially responsible ways of carrying out gentrification so that working class residents--of whatever race or ethnicity--benefit and are not simply displaced. Some displacement is probably inevitable.

I do not have an opinion about how gentrification is being carried out in JH. However, if we are interested in the truth we should avoid, in our arguments, facile assumptions that lump people together--separated by socio-economic status, social attitudes, and a generation--by race. Market forces drive gentrification. If people of color are disproportionately adversely affected this is because we live in a racist society that allocates opportunity along racial lines. Students or young people moving to relatively safe, convenient, and affordable neighborhoods should not be demonized for responding rationally to market forces. Neither should they be identified with whites who "fled" the neighborhood reflecting racist attitudes or because they assumed that the value of neighborhood property would depreciate with the shift in demographics due to the social problems that typically afflict poorer communities. If it is ironic that whites are moving to Jackson Heights because whites once fled the area due to the influx of black and brown peoples, then it is ironic that Barack Obama sought legitimate political power since Marcus Garvey once advocated separatism. The latter argument is obviously absurd. But then so must be the former.

Here's the point in a nutshell: it is silly to insist on continuity of action across individuals of the same race or ethnicity over time. They are different people. We expect consistency of action over time of a single individual and only in special cases. The notion of collective hypocrisy (that all people of a given racial or ethnic class must act according to the same logic, social perspective, religious/political conviction over time or else be labeled "hypocrites") is obviously absurd.

Jackson Heights is a big neighborhood that varies in demographics and architectural style, depending upon the section. I live in the historic district, which is between 76th and 88th Streets, and 37th Avenue and Northern Boulevard. This is where you'll find the largest non-Hispanic white population. Why? It is gorgeous from an architectural perspective and it provides that desired "family friendly" environment at a lower price-point than Park Slope and similar places. From what I hear, PS 69 is good as is the Renaissance Charter School. There's also the option of parochial and private schools. A playstreet just opened adjacent to Travers Park on 78th btwn Northern Blvd & 34th Avenue that offers a car-free zone for little kids to play. On Sundays the same area hosts a greenmarket. The historic district is SAFE because of a very large police presence. I have walked around at all hours and the residential streets and 37th Avenue business district are VERY quiet. On the weekends, in particular, cops are on patrol in cars, scooters, on bikes and horseback. This police presence (imo) is specifically targeted to this part of JH to protect it from problems in nearby areas. So, if you're hearing about problems in JH, it's probably higher up/closer to Corona. I'll grant you that Roosevelt isn't beautiful but neither is 31st Street in Astoria and people on this forum are always pushing people to move over there!

The JH historic district is in walking distance to the 7 train at 82nd Street and the 74th St/Roosevelt Ave transportation hub, which offers the E, F, M , R and 7 trains plus several buses, including two that go to LaGuardia Airport. The trip to midtown Manhattan can't be beat -- I went go door-to-door to my job at 47th & 3rd in 20 minutes. There are some very nice, inexpensive restaurants and cafes, but not much in terms of shopping, though. There's a ton of green space in the form of hidden gardens behind the apartment buildings. These gardens are private and accessible only by residents. Don't make the mistake of judging JH by Roosevelt Ave -- you'll be missing a lot!

As far as demographics -- the historic district is more non-Hispanic white than the rest of JH -- probably because it's more expensive. I wouldn't categorize the white people as yuppies, though. They seem to be more the "earthy" type and not very "showy" if you know what I mean. For example, my building has a garden club. I know lots of teachers, artists, college administrators, a TV cameraman, stay-at-home moms -- it runs the gamut. There's also a decent sized LGBT professional and artistic population that appears to be somewhat older.

North of Northern Blvd 76th and 88th Streets is also nice. With more single family/two-family homes than the historic district, it resembles the Ditmas/Steinway area of Astoria.

The broader JH neighborhood is diverse except it has few blacks of any nationality. I am black (American) but I don't see too many others. There also aren't too many Asians (except for the Indians). For me, it's a great place to live. I have never had any problems. If you want to learn more about JH, join the Jackson Heights Life board.

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